RISC: Is Simpler Better?

RISC: Is Simpler Better?

As microprocessor instruction sets grew more complex, it was proposed that sequences of simpler instructions could perform the same functions faster with smaller chips.

IBM developed a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) in 1980. But the approach was widely adopted only after the U.S. government funded university research programs and workstation vendors developed their own RISC chips. In 1991, IBM, Motorola, and Apple allied to produce the PowerPC.

None of the RISC suppliers were able to prevail in the PC market, but the approach thrived in microcontroller and specialized applications.

Inspired by the success of the Berkeley RISC project, Steve Furber and Sophie Wilson of Acorn Computers Ltd. designed the ARM 1 microprocessor in 1985. This would form the basis of the ARM architecture, one of the most successful computer architectures of all time.